Planning Insight Africa

  The allure of Nairobi’s skyline Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, is renowned for its stunning skyline, a symbol of growth, prosperity, and modernization. It's skyline is a testament to its rapid growth and economic dynamism. Iconic buildings such as the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC), the Times Tower, and the new Britam Tower dominate the horizon, symbolizing the city's role as a regional hub for business and commerce. The city’s skyline is often highlighted in promotional materials, showcasing Nairobi as a modern metropolis with immense potential. This view is further complemented by the backdrop of Nairobi National Park, creating a unique juxtaposition of urban and natural landscapes that is rare among world cities. When viewed from a distance, the cityscape presents a breathtaking panorama of towering skyscrapers, contemporary architectural marvels, and a seamless blend of historical and modern structures. However, this captivating view belies a stark c...

Good intentions, unintended consequences  While urban areas are essential battlegrounds in the fight against climate change, they also serve as complex ecosystems where well-intentioned mitigation and adaptation efforts can inadvertently sow the seeds of new vulnerabilities, including the loss of livelihoods. The interplay between the urgency of climate action and the imperative of inclusion is particularly pronounced in urban mitigation and adaptation strategies.  The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emphasizes that effective action must embrace diverse societal values, particularly in urban settings where vulnerabilities are more pronounced.   The 'common but differentiated responsibilities' principle asserts that historical contributors bear a moral obligation to assist those disproportionately affected, especially within urban areas. Initiatives like the Green Climate Fund exemplify this, channeling resources to support climate adaptation and miti...

Several measures and approaches are being explored to build cities’ and community climate resilience. Examples are adaptive social protection (ASP), green and blue infrastructure investments, conservation of natural areas, managed urban agriculture, deep decarbonisation, and built environment innovations. Adaptive social protection is defined as “a resilience-building approach that combines elements of social protection, disaster risk reduction, and adaptation to climate change to break the cycle of poverty and insecurity of communities by investing in their ability to prepare for, cope with, and adapt to all types of shocks,” including those brought on by climate change and other global challenges.   Cultural and heritage resilience Cultural heritage and resource management have become even more challenging as a result of climate change.  Recent research has focussed on built cultural heritage at risk from climate change events, including decay or even total loss generat...

Developing nations contribute less climate emissions and yet face the harshest impacts from climate change. Rapidly urbanizing cities in developing are more vulnerable to climate change and are the least able to respond to its effects. They are hampered by limited financial, human and technical resources as well as weak institutions and governance structures relating to disaster mitigation and preparedness. At the same time, since these cities contribute very little to global warming, their suffering is disproportionate. Historically, cities and settlements grew along coastlines and valleys due to the strategic benefits such as ease of trade. Cities, especially those in warm climates or low-lying coastal areas, face existential threats due to the risks and impacts of climate change and natural hazards, such as increased extreme heat events and pervasive flooding. According to the International Panel on Climate Change, sea levels are set to rise between 18-59 cm by the end of the centur...

Various factors influence users’ decisions to use either private or public transport. Research has investigated the factors influence commuters to ride an integrated public transport system. These factors have been categorized into three: psychological, operational and policy factors. The theory of planned behaviour is key in understanding psychological factors. Psychological factors stem from the characteristics of the trip such as the reason or purpose of a trip, the timing and frequency of the trip and the demographic of users for example, their age, gender, or socio-economic status. Older people are less likely to choose public transport as their preferred mode of travel. Likewise, as users improve their socio-economic status, so does their willingness to use public transport decline. Women are also seen to be more likely to use public transport for reasons other than commuting such as shopping etc.  Other psychological factors include quality of services, connectivity, budgeta...

  What are the qualities of public transport that are relevant for users? Planning for low-carbon mobility that promotes public transport, walking and cycling modes is a key step towards sustainable mobility in cities. Choosing the right pathways to sustainable mobility is of particular importance to growing cities, which are faced with a high population growth rate, pressurized public transport systems and a heavy reliance on the private car. Congestion and a transport planning culture that places more prominence on the private car, has created a vicious cycle of increased private vehicles on the road, followed by an inclination to expand the road network, which leads to users buying even more cars. It is thus vital for stakeholders in these cities to interrogate what measures need to be taken to influence changes towards a decrease in private mobility to mass mobility through promoting low-carbon public transport. The following are the most important requirements of the public tr...